Celebrating the Dedication, Resilience and Excellence of Midwives in Uganda

Awardee spotlight: Atulinda Mary

One of the awardees, Atulinda Mary, a midwife at Mabaale HC III in Kagadi, Hoima Region, Uganda, was recognised for her trieless efforts to improve maternal care in her community. “This award really motivates me to keep pushing, even when the challenges are tough,” she shared. “It reminds me why I do this work – to help women get the care they need.”

One of the biggest challenges the women in her community face is the cost of transportation to the health facility for antenatal care (ANC) and birth. “Sometimes, women need on average of Shs 4000 (about 1 euro) to get to the health facility, which they do not have,” Atulinda explained. To overcome this barrier, Atulinda and her fellow midwives have been conducting community outreaches, to bring ANC services closer to women.

“We hold ANC classes in the community, teach about the importance of giving birth at a health facility, and provide guidance on income–generating activities like chicken rearing, planting crops and growing vegetables. This helps women raise money for transportation and other necessities, Atulinda said.
Their efforts have yielded impressive results: the number of monthly births at the health center has doubled from 40 to 80, ensuring that more women receive skilled care. As a result, fewer women are giving birth in unsafe conditions with traditional birth attendants. “At first, we used to see a lot of stillbirths and neonatal complications at least once every month, but we haven’t had any in the last six months,” Atulinda said proudly.

Although Atulinda has led these changes, she attributes her success to teamwork. She works with two other midwives, and together, they have made a significant difference. But the health facility still faces challenges, including inadequate infrastructure. There is only one birthing bed, which means mothers sometimes have to give birth on the floor. The maternity ward is small, with only four beds in the post–natal ward, so some mothers have to recover on the floor before being
discharged.

“We do our best, but it can be challenging with limited resources,” Atulinda admitted. “More staff and better infrastructure would really make a bigger difference. “Despite these challenges, Atulinda is grateful for the efforts by the Ministry of Health and National medical stores, which have consistently provided essential medicines. However, there are still occasional shortages of drugs such as antimalarials.

Looking to the future, Atulinda believes that more can be done for midwives like her. She feels there should be more opportunities for career growth and/or promotion, especially for midwives who have gained additional skills and training. Through on–the–job mentorship, Atulinda has received training in management of conditions such as pre–eclampsia, eclampsia, postpartum hemorrhage, neonatal resuscitation, preterm birth care and more – vital skills that help save lives.
“At the end of the day, this work is about saving lives,” Atulinda said. “I’m proud to do it, and I’m proud of the difference we are making.”

Recognising the strength of midwives across Uganda

These midwives’ achievements are an example of the strength and commitment of midwives all over Uganda. Ambassador Håkansson noted the significant progress that has happened in improving maternal and child health over the last ten years, with the maternal mortality rate decreasing by almost half, and three of four women giving birth attended by a nurse or midwife. She also highlighted the work done on improving women’s access to sexual and reproductive health
services.

There is still much to be done, with the need to address gender–based violence, child marriage and teenage pregnancy in Uganda, through empowering young people to make empowered reproductive choices – with midwives at the heart of the solution. Like many countries globally, Uganda also needs more midwives, for which UNFPA representatives urge the government to implement the newly approved staffing structure, with the goal of improving the midwife–to–birth
ratio. Midwives, like Atulinda and her colleagues, are at the heart of the solution. Emily Likico Opu, the Vice President of the National Midwives Association of Uganda, praised the awardees for their extraordinary dedication and resilience, calling their efforts a true inspiration. As we celebrate the achievements of midwives like Atulinda, we stand with them in their efforts to ensure the rights, dignity, and health of women and newborns everywhere.

We are proud to stand with midwives and their associations as they stand for the rights, dignity, and health of women and newborns everywhere!